If  more  copies  of  this  document  are  required,  send  to  P.  O-  Box  2358, 

New  York. 


HEAD  and  CIRCULATE. 


SOME  MATTERS  OF  INTEREST 

FOR  THE  CONSIDERATION  OF 

EVERY  AMERICAN  VOTER, 

WITHOUT  REGARD  TO  PARTY,  CREED 
OR  NATIONALITY 

SYNOPSIS. — Selections  from  a  startling  political 
and  secret  circular  from  Father  Stephan  to 
Bishop  Marty  and  the  other  bishops  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States. 
Assaults  on  President  Harrison,  Secretary 
Noble,  Commissioner  Morgan  and  the  National 
Public  Schools. 

Also  extracts  from  a  pastoral  letter  signed 
by  the  Roman  Catholic  Archbishop  of  Chicago, 
and  the  bishops  of  Peoria,  Alton  and  Belle¬ 
ville,  Ill.,  which  was  read  on  September  n, 
1892,  in  all  the  Roman  Catholic  churches  of 
Illinois,  and  which  advises  all  Roman  Catholics 
to  oppose  at  the  polls  the  Common  School  laws 
of  that  State. 

Reference  to  other  Conferences  of  the 
Clergy  and  Societies  in  which  education  is 
discussed. 

The  restriction  of  immigration  advocated. 

Petitions  to  Congress  for  signatures  of 
citizens. 


4 


\%1  \b'N\."3 


PREFACE. 

(EXPLANATORY.) 


A  YY\ 


It  is  not  our  purpose  in  this  leaflet  to  attack  any  man’s  religion,  but 
when  the  hierarchy  of  a  church  seeks  to  promote  its  interests  by  the  use 
of  moneys  belonging  to  all  the  people,  through  the  enactment  of  special 
laws,  and  by  covertly  advocating  the  election  to  public  office  of  the  can¬ 
didates  of  a  political  faction,  then  it  becomes  the  duty  of  every  patriotic 
citizen,  without  regard  to  his  creed,  nationality  or  party  affiliations  to 
stamp  with  his  vote  his  condemnation  of  such  measures. 

That  the  letter  of  Father  Stephan  is  written  for  political  purposes ; 
that  in  it  he  frankly  confesses  his  animosity  to  President  Harrison,  Secre¬ 
tary  Noble  and  Commissioner  Morgan,  because  they  opposed  his  political 
schemes,  and  that  the  document  has  been  printed  and  circulated  for  the 
purpose  of  influencing  voters  in  this  Presidential  contest  cannot  be 
doubted. 

Through  the  entire  letter  the  claim  is  maintained  that  wherever  and 
whenever  the  Roman  Catholic  church  built  and  opened  a  school  among 
the  Indians  (and  if  among  the  Indians  why  not  elsewhere  and  every¬ 
where  ?)  it  became  the  duty  of  the  Federal  Government  to  provide  for  its 
support,  and  thus  carry  on  sectarian  education  at  the  expense  of  the 
nation. 

Father  Stephan  (and  here  also  we  might  include  Archbishop 
Feehan)  does  not  seem  to  realize  that  in  this  country  there  is  no  state 
religion  and  that  moneys  used  for  the  support  of  any  sectarian  institution 
should  be  provided  by  the  denomination  to  which  that  institution  belongs. 

In  connection  with  the  subject  of  Indian  schools  it  must  be  remem¬ 
bered  that  the  U.  S.  Government  is  primarily  responsible  for  their  support 
and  for  the  education  of  the  Indians  ;  that  the  superintendents,  teachers 
and  others  connected  with  the  National  public  schools  are  appointed 
solely  on  their  merits  ;  that  they  must  undergo  a  civil  service  examina¬ 
tion,  and  that  no  partisan  or  sectarian  test  can  be  applied . 

(3) 


4 


In  addition  to  the  regular  appropriations  for  Government  school 
there  has  been  set  apart  annually  a  large  sum  for  cov  tract  s:hools  under 
control  of  various  religious  bodies.  From  1886  to  1893  these  appropria¬ 
tions  were  #3, 767, 951,  of  which  the  Roman  Catholic  schools  received 
$2,366,416,  or  about  sixty-five  per  cent.,  while  for  the  year  1893  from  the 
sum  of  $525,881  appropriated  they  take  $369,535,  or  over  seventy  percent. 

The  Baptists  never  participated  in  this  fund,  the  Methodists  do  not 
use  it,  and  the  Congregationalists  and  Presbyterians  are  about  to  discon¬ 
tinue  it.  The  appropriations  for  the  two  latter  denominations  this  year 
are  less  than  $55,000. 

In  this  paper  special  attention  has  been  given  to  Father  Stephan’s 
letter  on  account  of  its  National  as  well  as  its  secret  character,  for  with¬ 
out  mincing  matters  it  boldly  proclaims  the  policy  and  hopes  of  the 
hierarchy. 

The  pastoral  of  Archbishop  Feehan,  while  apparently  intended  for 
the  State  of  Illinois,  is  also  National  in  its  bearings,  in  that  Presidential 
electors,  members  of  Congress  ^nd  a  State  Legislature  are  to  be  chosen, 
the  latter  of  which  will  vote  for  a  U.  S.  Senator.  The  pastoral  is  con¬ 
firmatory  of  all  that  is  contained  in  Father  Stephan's  document  relating 
to  education  and  is  but  another  evidence — if  that  be  required — of  the 
open  and  pronounced  efforts  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church  to  destroy 
our  Free  School  System.  That  the  assault  has  been  pre-arranged,  is 
systematic  and  is  now  being  made  all  along  the  line,  reference  is  hereby 
made  to  a  clipping  from  the  New  York  Daily  News ,  and  to  the  session 
of  the  German  Roman  Catholic  Central  Society  of  North  America,  held 
at  Dubuque,  Iowa,  September  18,  1892,  at  which  Bishop  Marty  was  the 
orator  of  the  day. 

Undoubtedly  there  is  more  to  follow,  and  it  will  not  be  surprising 
to  learn  before  election  day  that  other  dioceses  have  followed  the  example 
of  that  of  Chicago. 

The  Restriction  of  Immigration — a  subject  of  vital  importance — is 
incidentally  referred  to  and  recent  events  have  demonstrated  beyond  a 
doubt  the  necessity  for  the  adoption  of  some  law  that  will  effectually 
accomplish  this  object. 

You  are  also  asked  to  sign  a  petition  to  Congress  for  its  restriction. 

And  now  in  conclusion,  dear  reader  and  friend,  (you  who  love 
country  better  than  party,)  carefully  read  and  study  the  matter  herein 
contained.  Fvery  word  of  it  is  authentic.  The  proof  is  in  our  possession, 


5 


and  we  are  ready  to  produce  it  when  required,  notwithstanding  Father 

Stephan’s  denial  of  having  written  the  letter. 

It  is  sometimes  hard  to  cut  adrift  from  old  party  ties,  but  “  the  way 

of  duty  is  the  way  of  safety,”  and  we  believe  your  patriotic  impulses 

will  surmount  party  prejudices  and  in  the  end  “all  will  be  well.”  God 

rules. 

T 

THE  AMERICAN  PATRIOTIC  LEAGUE, 

4  Henry  C.  Parke,  Secretary , 

P.  O.  Box  2358,  New  York  City. 
Coe.  John  D.  Graham,  National  Deputy. 


* 

'w 


FATHER  STEPHAN’S  LETTER. 


In  the  Church  News ,  published  at  Washington,  September 
ioth,  1892,  Father  Stephan  denies  having  written  this  letter, 
and  says  : 

“  I  noticed  in  the  newspapers  a  statement  that  I  had  sent  a  confi¬ 
dential  pamphlet  to  all  the  priests  in  the  United  States.  This  is  as  silly 
as  it  is  false.” 

However,  the  document  is  in  our  possession.  The  title 
page  is  as  follows  : 

“Report  of  Rev.  J.  A.  Stephan,  Director,  to  Right  Rev.  Bishop  M. 
Marty,  President  of  the  Bureau  of  Catholic  Indian  Missions,  for  the  year 
1891-92.  Washington,  D.  C.  Press  of  Gedney  &  Roberts  Company, 
1892.” 

From  it  we  cull  the  following  :  [The  display  is  our  own.] 

(Page  I.) 

REPORT. 

The:  Bureau  of  Cathodic  Indian  Missions. 

Washington,  D.  C.,  July  27th,  1892. 

Right  Reverend  Dear  Sir  : 

I  have  the  honor  to  submit  herewith  my  Annual  Report,  and  in  view 
of  the  important  events  that  have  transpired  during  the  past  year,  I  feel 
obliged  to  review  at  some  length  the  relations  of  this  Bureau  with  the 
head  of  the  Indian  Office  and  other  Government  officials,  more  particu¬ 
larly  since  July  1st,  1889,  the  day  Mr.  Morgan  became  Commissioner  of 
Indian  Affairs.  And  in  connection  with  this  matter  !  am  constrained 
to  request  that  you  will  keep  this  report  from  the  eye  of  the  public; 
not  for  the  reason  that  the  public  should  not  know  of  the  facts  herein 
stated,  for  these  facts  should  be  known  of  all  men,  and  being  known,  I 
am  sure  they  would  cause  every  good  citizen  of  whatever  party  or  religion 
to  marvel  at  the  bigotry  and  intolerance  which  have  crippled  the  hand 
of  the  church  in  its  work  of  educating  and  redeeming  from  paganism  the 
children  of  our  Indian  wards.  But  this  is  the  year  of  a  Presidential 
election,  and  if  this  arraignment  of  the  Indian  office  were  given  to 
the  public  at  this  time  party  prejudice,  perverting  the  judgment  of 
even  the  best  of  men,  would  denounce  it  as  an  attempt  to  furnish 
partisan  ammunition  to  one  of  the  parties  to  the  contest.  This  result, 
I  anticipate,  that  it  may  be  obviated.  I  am,  and  for  many  years  have  been,  a 

(6> 


7 


member  of  the  party  to  which  the  bigoted  Commissioner,  and  the  not 
much  less  bigoted  President  belong ;  and  while  I  disparage  their  offi¬ 
cial  conduct  and  actions  in  the  matter  of  this  report,  I  deprecate  the  idea 
that  anything  that  I  may  feel  it  to  be  my  duty  to  say  to  you  in  behalf  of 
our  most  righteous  cause,  and  in  protest  against  the  efforts  of  canting  public 
i  officers  to  drive  us  from  one  of  our  most  loved  fields  of  labor  in  behalf 

of  the  Master,  should  be  used  in  a  campaign  of  party  politics.  Therefore, 
to  you,  and  through  you  to  the  other  Bishops  to  whom  the  facts  herein 
contained  should  be  made  known,  I  respectfully  transmit  this  report, 
*  with  the  caution  I  have  included  in  this  its  introductory  paragraph. 

(Page  2.) 

Prior  to  July  ist,  1889,  the  most  friendly  relations  existed  between 
this  Bureau  and  all  the  officials  with  whom  it  transacted  its  business,  and 
the  same  harmonious  relations  would  have  continued  to  this  day  if  Mr. 
Morgan  had  not  begun  a  crusade  against  our  work,  the  particulars  of 
which  will  be  detailed  further  on. 

When  the  press  of  the  country  announced  in  June,  1889,  that  Mr.  Mor¬ 
gan  was  to  succeed  Mr.  John  H.  Oberly  as  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs, 
I  was  informed  in  more  than  one  way  of  some  of  the  antecedents  of  Mr. 
Morgan.  I  learned  that  he  was  a  preacher  and  a  member  of  what 
is  called  the  “  League  for  the  Protection  of  American  Institutions." 

I  ascertained  also  that  he  had  been  a  public  lecturer,  and  that  the 
subject  of  one  of  his  lectures  was  “Rome  Opposed  to  American 
Institutions."  ******* 

Early  in  July,  1889,  the  late  Father  Willard,  as  Vice  Director  of  this 
Bureau,  called  at  the  Indian  Office,  and  was  plainly  told  by  Mr.  Morgan 
that  the  Contract  School  System  would  be  superseded  ;  that  he  (Morgan) 
was  opposed  to  the  principle  of  supporting  schools  such  as  ours  at  Gov¬ 
ernment  expense,  and  that  while  he  could  not  at  that  time  abolish  the 
system,  he  would  as  rapidly  as  possible  replace  the  church  schools  by 
Government  schools.  ****** 

Early  in  his  administration  he  removed  nearly  all  the  Catholics  he 
found  in  the  Government  school  service  and  in  many  instances  filled 
their  places  by  the  appointment  of  preachers  to  superintend  his  non- 
»  sectarian  schools.* 

I  clearly  saw  that  if  this  man  were  permitted  to  go  on  unchallenged 
he  would,  within  his  four  years’  term  of  office,  close  all  our  schools,  and 
the  children  upon  whom  so  much  labor  had  been  spent  would  be  forced 
into  his  unfriendly  proselyting  schools.  *  *  *  * 

To  get  this  unfair  and  unfriendly  man  out  of  the  Indian  office, 
and  if  possible  have  some  fair-minded  gentleman  take  his  place,  I 
put  forth  every  effort,  beginning  first  with  my  address  to  His  Eminence 
the  Cardinal  and  (Page  3)  to  some  thirty  Archbishops  and  Bishops  at  the 
meeting  in  Baltimore  at  the  time  of  the  Centennial  or  Catholic  Congress. 


On^account  of  incompetency. 


8 


That  meeting  unanimously  agreed  that  something  should  be  done,  and 
a  committee  consisting  of  Archbishops  Ireland  and  Riordan  was  selected 
to  call  on  the  President  and  lay  before  him  our  views  on  the  appointment 
of  Mr.  Morgan  as  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs  and,  Mr.  Dorchester 
as  Superintendent  of  Public  Schools.  Bishop  Chatard,  of  Indiana,  and 
myself  accompanied  that  committee.  We  called  upon  President  Harrison 
by  appointment,  and  had  a  conference  with  him  in  the  presence  of  Secre¬ 
taries  Blaine  and  Windom.  At  this  interview  the  President  stated 
that  he  wanted  the  Indian  children  educated  in  Government 
schools,  thus  endorsing  Morgan’s  policy  in  that  respect,  and 
he  denied  our  request  to  withdraw  the  nominations  of  Messrs. 
Morgan  and  Dorchester,  thus  showing  his  preference  for  these  two 
men  to  the  hierarchy  and  Catholics  cf  the  country.  In  view  of  the 
failure  at  the  White  House,  the  only  course  left  me  was  to  fight  the  con¬ 
firmation  of  these  men  in  the  Senate.  The  history  of  that  fight  is  too 
recent  and  well-known  to  need  comment,  but  I  must  remark  that  there 
never  had  been  a  battle  in  the  Senate  that  appeared  more  prom¬ 
ising,  and  never  was  one  lost  more  signally.  *  *  * 

Everything  seemed  to  favor  the  defeat  of  his  confirmation  when 
certain  elements — I  was  told  the  President — entered  into  the  contest 
which  changed  the  whole  situation.  Morgan  adroitly  raising  the 
religious  issue,  said  there  was  a  Romish  conspiracy  to  defeat  him,  and 
that  the  Jesuits  wanted  him  punished  for  his  public  school  system  views  ; 
and  through  the  aid  of  the  (Page  4)  American  Le  gue  and  kindred  socie¬ 
ties  he  succeeded  in  uniting  in  his  support  a  sufficient  number  to  confirm 
him.  He  had  the  whole  power  of  the  administration,  from  the 
President  down,  at  his  back,  and  the  vast  patronage  of  his  own 
office.  *******  * 

During  the  debates  in  both  Houses,  much  was  said  in  favor 
of  our  system  of  schools  ;  and  no  opportunity  was  ever  allowed  to 
pass  to  present  their  merits  in  the  press  of  the  country.  The  pur¬ 
pose  was  to  lose  no  ground.  If  we  could  not  extend  our  work,  we 
hoped  to  maintain  its  Status  Quo .  *  *  *  * 

While  contending  for  the  appropriations  above  mentioned,  we  met 
with  much  opposition,  for  the  Senators  and  members  were  flooded  with 
remonstrances  against  granting  aid  to  our  schools,  and  the  American 
League,  the  Committees  of  One  Hundred  of  Boston  and  Lynn,  Mass., 
sent  on  memorials  protesting  against  such  appropriations.  *  * 

I  publicly,  in  the  press,  charged  Morgan  with  stirring  up  this  oppo¬ 
sition,  and  to  this  day  he  has  not  denied  it. 

This  Commissioner  never  tires  in  his  work  of  crippling  us,  and  I 
clearly  foresaw  that  he  would  succeed  in  his  purpose  to  destroy  our  sys¬ 
tem  of  schools  if  allowed,  and  therefore  I  used  all  the  influence  I  could 
command  to  get  the  President  and  the  Secretary  of  the  (Page  5)  In¬ 
terior  to  interpose  in  our  behalf,  but  failed.  It  will  be  seen  by  what 
follows  that  they  not  only  did  not  favor  us,  but  on  the  contrary  took  the 


same  view  of  the  relations  and  the  future  of  our  schools  as  were  put  forth 
by  Mr.  Morgan. 

Note  what  the  President,  in  his  Annual  Message,  at  the  opening  of 
the  51st  Congress,  stated  in  regard  to  the  contract  schools  : 

“  The  National  schools  for  Indians  have  been  very  successful,  and 
should  be  so  organized  and  conducted  as  to  facilitate  the  transfer  of  the 
schools  to  the  States  or  Territories  in  which  they  are  located.  *  *  * 
This  condition  of  things  will  be  attained  slowly,  but  it  will  be  hastened  by 
keeping  it  in  mind.  And  in  the  meantime,  that  co  operation  between  the 
Government  and  the  Mission  schools,  which  has  wrought  much  good, 
should  1  e  cordially  and  impartially  maintained.” 

He  gave  us  not  one  word  of  hope  that  the  schools  built  by  us 
upon  the  invitation  of  the  Government  would  receive  any  support 
from  the  National  Treasury  longer  than  up  to  the  moment  when  the 
National  schools  could  be  multiplied  to  replace  ours,  and  in  the 
meantime  we  would  be  grudgingly  given  what  we  had  been  getting 
from  the  previous  administration. 

In  the  first  report  of  Secretary  Noble  we  find  several  pages  of 
praise  for  the  National  schools,  especially  of  Carlisle,  and  then  this 
follows  : 

“  This  school  system,  with  its  attendant  practices,  is  worthy  of 
adoption  and  expansion,  until  it  may  be  made  to  embrace  all  the  Indian 
youth.  *  *  *  The  National  system  may  grow  very  rapidly 

and  yet  others  be  most  welcome  as  co-wotkers  in  this  benevolent  cause  ; 

but  the  National  system  should  have  precedence,  and  in  the  case 
of  conflict  it  should  be  preserved  and  advanced. ” 

Thus  at  the  outset  the  President,  the  Secretary  of  the  inte¬ 
rior  and  the  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs  were  in  entire  accord. 
The  President  would  give  us  contracts  in  the  meantime,  while  the 
National  schools  were  being  multiplied;  the  Secretary  wou  Ed  do 
the  same;  but  in  case  of  conflict  would  give  precedence  to  the 
Government  schools,  and  Morgan  would  do  the  rest.  He  would 
build  tht  se  schools  alongside  of  ours,  start  the  conflict,  and  the  destruc- 
*  tion  of  our  work  was  to  follow. 

(Page  6.)  *  * 

The  schools  especially  appropriated  for,  and  which  the  Secretary 
had  in  mind  were  Rensalaer,  Banning  and  Black  Feet.  These  appro¬ 
priations  were  secured  against  great  opposition ,  without  Department 
recommendation ,  and  against  the  public  protest  of  Commissioner  Morgan 
and  his  friends  *  *  *  and  these  schools  now  annually 

receiving  over  $ 33, 000  would  not  be  in  receipt  of  one  cent  of  Govern¬ 
ment  aid  to-day  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  action  of  Congress.  *  *  * 

[NoTF. — Father  Stephan  continues  with  the  publication 
of  letters  and  complaints,  in  which  Morgan  is  severely  cen¬ 
sured.] 


IO 


(Page  13.) 

So  we  had  to  return  to  Congress  once  more  to  perfect  the 

work  begun  at  its  first  session,  *  *  *  and  when  the  fight 

opened  at  the  second  session  of  the  51st  Congress  we  were  ready  for  the 
Morgans,  McCords,  Alliances,  Leagues,  etc. ,  which  we  knew  we  had  to 
confront.  **  ****** 

The  Congressional  Record  of  that  session  will  show  with  what 
bitterness  we  were  assailed,  but  never  faltering,  we  pressed  on  and 
secured  the  adoption  of  an  item  in  the  appropriation  bid  that 
threw  over  every  one  of  our  schools  and  all  other  contract  schools 
the  same  protection  and  recognition  that  was  awarded  Carlisle  or 
any  of  the  other  Government  schools.  When  the  Indian  Appropria¬ 
tion  Bill  for  that  year  became  a  law  I  felt  that  our  work,  so  far  as 
Government  aid  was  concerned,  was  more  secure  than  it  ever  had  been 
before,  and  all  that  would  be  necessary  in  the  future  would  be  to  watch 
the  encroachments  into  our  territory,  call  the  attention  of  Congress 
to  the  same,  and  to  see  to  it  that  money  enough  was  voted  from 
time  to  time  to  carry  on  the  work.  *  *  *  *  * 

(Page  17.) 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  enumerate  all  of  the  many  difficulties  we  ex¬ 
perienced  during  the  first  two  years  of  Mr.  Morgan’s  administration. 
Our  letter-books  are  full  of  corresponded ce  showing  that  we  had  to  con¬ 
test  every  inch  of  ground  ;  that  no  favor  was  ever  shown  us.  *  * 

(Page  28.) 

Mr.  Morgan  should  have  been  promptly  answered  that  we  did 
not  care  what  his  policy  was,  nor  what  his  specific  orders  from  the 
President  were,  a  higher  power  than  either,  namely  the  Congress 
of  the  United  States,  having  put  its  seal  of  approval  on  the  contract 
system  by  granting  appropriations  for  the  schools  at  Banning  and 
Black  Feet,  and  having  incorporated  an  item  in  the  Appropriation 
Bill  appropriating  a  sufficient  amount  of  money  to  renew  all  the 
contracts.  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 

[Notk. — The  following  quotation  is  from  Mr.  Morgan’s 
letter  to  Father  Stephan]  : 

(Page  29.) 

‘  I  have  in  a  separate  communication  suggested  to  you  the  desira¬ 
bility  of  some  official  expression  on  your  part  of  your  disapproval,  as  a 
Bureau,  of  any  opposition  on  the  part  of  schools  under  your  charge  to 
Government  schools.” 

[Notk. — In  reply  to  this,  Father  Stephan  writes,  on  the 
same  page]  : 


II 


4 


Mr.  Morgan  should  have  been  told  in  answer  to  this  to  clean 
before  h?s  own  door,  to  stop  his  Captain  Pratts  and  others  from 
villifying  our  schools;  to  make  his  Government  schools  such  insti¬ 
tutions  as  fathers  could  with  safety  send  their  daughters  to;  that 
then  no  one  would  oppose  his  Government  schools,  even  if  we  did 
oppose  as  citizens  their  extension.  *  *  *  * 

(Page  31.) 

I  have  never  visited  the  Indian  Office  since  that  unworthy 
man  became  its  head,  nor  did  I  ever  find  it  necessary.  *  * 

(Page  32.) 

We  will  gain  nothing  by  crying  over  the  past,  and  we  should 
at  once  prepare  for  the  future.  Profiting  by  experience,  we  should 
re-organize  our  Bureau,  and  so  conduct  at  that  such  disaster  as 
has  been  its  recent  lot  can  never  befall  it  again.  *  * 

Faithfully  yours, 

[signed.]  J.  A.  STEPHAN, 

Director. 

Rt.  Ret.  M.  Marty, 

President  Board  Catholic  Indian  Missions. 


ARCHBISHOP  FEEHAN’S  PASTORAL. 


The  [following  are  extracts  taken  from  a  pastoral  letter 
read  in  all  the  Roman  Catholic  churches  in  Illinois,  on  Sun¬ 
day,  September  n,  1892  : 


To  the  Clergy  and  Catholic  People  oj  the  Ecclesiastical  Province  of 

Chicago . 

Very  Rev.  and  Rev.  Dear  Fathers. 

Beloved  Brothers  of  the  Laity :  —  At  a  recent  meeting,  we,  the 
Archbishop  and  Bishops  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Province  of  Chicago,  con¬ 
sidered  it  to  be  our  duty  to  address  you  on  the  subject  of  education.  *  * 

In  our  country  those  who  believe  education  to  be  essentially 
religious  seem  at  present  to  be  a  minority,  but  we  are  persuaded  that  all 
Christians  who  have  seriously  meditated  on  the  subject  know  that  we 
and  those  who  in  this  agree  with  us  are  right.  *  *  * 

It  is  not  right  that  we  Catholics  should  have  to  contribute  to 
the  support  of  both  the  public  and  parochial  schools.  For  the 
present,  however,  there  seems  to  be  no  escape  from  the  double 
burden,  for  the  law  taxes  us  for  the  maintenance  of  the  secular 
schools  and  reason  and  conscience  compel  us  to  maintain  our  own 
religious  schools.  *  *  *  So  shall  it  be  with  what  we 
Catholics  are  now  doing  in  the  United  States.  *  *  *  * 

In  building,  maintaining  and  perfecting  our  Catholic  schools,  we 
are  doing  the  most  beneficent  work  American  citizens  can  do.  *  *  * 
We  call  the  attention  of  all  pastors  to  the  legislation  of  the  last 
Baltimore  Council  on  Parochial  Schools.  *  *  *  When  we 

consider  what  we  have  done  and  are  doing  to  educate  our  Catholic  chil¬ 
dren  while  we  also  contribute  to  the  support  of  public  schools,  It  seems 
Inexplicable  to  us  that  the  Legislature  of  Illinois  should  have 
enacted  what  is  known  as  the  Edwards  Law;  an  insidious  and 
unjust  law,-  which  under  pretext  of  zeal  for  popular  education  is 
really  a  violation  of  our  most  sacred  rights  as  men  and  citizens. 
*  *  *  We  DENOUNCE  this  law  as  a  violation  of  our  consti- 


tutiona*  rignts  ana  no  d  that  those  who  favor  it  are  unwortny  of  tne 
support  of  enlightened  and  fair-minded  VOTERS.  Let  us  use  all 
right  and  honorable  means  to  have  it  repealed. 

P.  A.  Feehan,  Archbishop  of  Chicago. 

J.  L.  Spaeding,  Bishop  of  Peoria. 

James  Ryan,  Bishop  of  Alton . 

John  Janssen,  Bishop  of  Belleville . 

Note. — The  Edwards  Law  of  Illinois  is  very  similar  to 
the  Bennett  Law  of  Wisconsin  which  was  repealed  over  a  year 
ago,  and  the  pen  with  which  the  Governor  signed  the  repealing 
act  is  now  exhibited  in  a  glass  case  for  public  admiration. 

The  politico-religious  fight  which  resulted  in  the  election 
of  4  ‘  Bad-Boy’  ’  Peck  as  Governor  of  Wisconsin  and  a  legis¬ 
lature  in  sympathy  with  him  was  one  of  the  most  bitter  ever 
witnessed  in  this  country. 

The  Bennett  Law  provides  that  ‘  ‘  Every  child  from  seven 
to  fourteen  years  of  age  shall  attend  some  public  or  private 
day  school  for  a  period  not  less  than  twelve  weeks  in  each 
year,”  and  that  “  no  school  shall  be  regarded  as  a  school 
under  this  act,  unless  there  shall  be  taught  therein 
reading,  writing,  arithmetic  and  United  States  history 
in  the  English  language/9  This  is  its  entire  substance. 

The  Edwards  Law  has  been  in  force  for  more  than 
three  years,  and  yet  the  Archbishop  and  Bishops  have 
only  just  discovered — ON  THE  EVE  OF  THE  PRESIDEN¬ 
TIAL  ELECTION — that  it  is  desirable  to  have  this  ob¬ 
noxious  law  repealed. 

It  would  seem  difficult  to  find  the  reason  in  the  law  itself 
for  the  denunciations  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Bishops,  and 
coming  as  it  does  subsequent  to  the  secret  letter  of  Father 
Stephan  and  prior  to  the  hierarchial  assemblages  noted  below, 
would  denote  that  it  is  simply  the  culmination  of  a  plan 
long  since  adopted  to  overthrow  the  Public  School 
System  and  divide  the  School  Fund. 


14 


The  clipping  from  the  New  York  Daily  News ,  of  September 
14,  1892,  hereinbefore  referred  to,  reads  thus  : 

The  Bishops  of  the  Dioceses,  which  cover  the  Ecclesiastical  Pro¬ 
vince  of  New  York,  met  to-day  at  the  residence  of  Archbishop  Corrigan, 
on  Madison  avenue.  The  Archbishop  of  New  York  presided  and  the 
Secretary  was  the  Bishop  of  Brooklyn.  The  serious  controversy  involv¬ 
ing  the  question  of  the  parish  school  and  Catholic  education,  and  as  to 
what  can  and  shall  be  done  for  Catholic  children  who  do  not  attend 
Catholic  schools,  the  laws  against  secret  societies,  the  proposed  Catholic 
Lay  Congress  at  Chicago,  etc  ,  will  make  up  the  programme  of  the  discus¬ 
sion,  which,  of  course,  will  be  kept  private  for  some  time  to  come. 
The  impression  prevails  among  all  well-informed  Catholics  that  all  of  the 
bishops  of  the  province  are  in  perfect  accord  with  Archbishop  Corrigan. 
His  strained  relations  with  Archbishop  Ireland  did  not  spring  from  any 
personal  causes,  it  is  stated.  These  distinguished  metropolitans  represent 
rival  factions  in  the  church.  The  bone  of  canonical  contention  is 
the  school  question,  and  incidental  thereto  the  adoption  of 
exclusively  American  methods  of  education  and  training. 

The  following  is  from  a  telegraphic  despatch  found  in  the 
New  York  Herald ,  of  September  19,  1892  : 

Dubuque,  Iowa,  September  18,  1892. — The  Thirty-seventh  Annual 
Convention  of  the  German  Roman  Catholic  Central  Society  of  North 
America  opened  here  to-day.  *  *  *  The  orator  of  the  day 

was  Bishop  Marty,  of  Sioux  Falls,  S.  D.  His  sermon  was  devoted  almost 
entirely  to  the  objects  of  the  German  societies  represented  in  the  con¬ 
vention.  He  referred  briefly  to  the  school  question,  holding  that  the 
education  of  children,  as  at  present  conducted,  was  on  the  wrong  plan. 
There  was  no  reference  to  the  Fairbault  system  nor  to  Cohenslyism,  but 
it  is  intimated  that  both  of  these  subjects  may  be  considered  by  the 
convention  itself. 


f 


PROMISCUOUS  OR  UNRESTRICTED 
IMMIGRATION 


Is  a  curse  and  furnishes  this  country  with  the  most  undesirable 
class  of  population.  From  this  primarily  arises  all  the  evils 
with  which  politics,  business  and  our  social  system  are  afflicted, 
and  we  raise  a  warning  voice  to  our  fellow-citizens  to  shut  the 
gates  before  the  servant  becomes  the  master. 

All  this  matter  is  food  for  serious  reflection , 
and  we  believe  and  trust— in  the  Providence 
of  God — that  this  little  leaflet  may  open  the 
eyes  of  all  to  the  necessity  for  prompt  and 
vigorous  action. 

H.  C.  PARKE, 

Secretary . 


P.  O.  Box  2358,  New  York. 


